Washing machine



@et 2 9 H93.,

G. S. BLAKESLEE WASHING MACHINE Filed Au cit. 2 51923. lgm

G. s. BLAKESLEE WASHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 16, 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet 2Per? @CL 2 i923. G. s. BLAKESLEE WASHING MACHINE 5 sheets-,shut

Filed Aug. 16. 1920 Patented ct. 2, 1923.

GEORGE S. BLAKESLEE, OF OAK IRK, ILLINOIS.

WASHING MACHINE.

Application led August 1G, 1920. Serial No. 403,759.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be itv known that I, GEORGE S. BLAKESLEE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WashingMachines, of which the following is a specific-ation, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to washing machines, and particularly to machinesintended for washing metal parts, such as castings. SuchA parts varygreatly in size and weight, and are of a great variety of shapes, manyof them being quite irregular, so that it is a diiiicult matter toprovide a machine which will operate with certainty to handle sucharticles Without damaging them, while at the same time they areeHectively cleansed. Economy of space is also an importantconsideration, and it is highly desirable that a washing machine of thischaracter be so constructed as to have great capacity for the spacewhich it occupies. To provide a washing machine which will meet theabove mentioned requirements is the object of my present invention. Iaccomplish this object as illustrated in the accompanying drawings andvas hereinafter described. What I believe to be new is set forth in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings,-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine;

Fig. 2 is a partial horizontal section thereof, showing that half of themachine adjacent to the inlet end thereof;

Fig. 3 'is a similar view showing the discharge end portion of themachine, both Figures 2 and 3 being taken substantially on line 2-2 ofFig. 1; v FFig. 4 is a vertical section on line 4-4 of Fig. 5 is an endview of the discharge end of the machine; and A Fig. 6 is a detail,being a partial horizontal section on line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

My improved machine comprises an elongated tank, which in the bestembodiment thereof is divided transversely midway of its length to formcompartments for washing and rinsing water; paddle wheels disposedlaterally with reference to said tank and operating respectively in thewashing and rinsing compartments to thro7 water therefrom ing andrinsing compartments, the conveyor y in the Washing compartment beingarranged to deliver the articles carried thereby to the conveyor in therinsing compartment; and a rotary reticulated cylindrical member eX-tending longitudinally over the tank above said conveyors, in the bestembodiment of said invention said cylindrical member being arranged tooperate also as a conveyor for conducting comparatively small articlesthrough the machine while they are subjected to the action of thewashing and rinsing water. In order that such cylindrical member mayoperate as a conveyor, it is provided with a spiral core extending1ongitudinally through it so that as said member rotates the articlescontained in it will be advanced therethrough and discharged at theoutlet end of the machine. All these operating parts are connected foroperation by a single motor, and the usual piping is provided forsupplying hot water to the washing and rinsing compartments, and fordrawing oii the water therefrom when desired. i

Referring tothe drawings-7 indicates the tank as a whole, 8 the washingcompartment, 9 the rinsing compartment, and 10 the partition whichseparates the tank into said two com artments. 11 indicates the paddlewhee associated with the washing compartment, and 12 the paddle wheelassol ciated with the rinsing compartment. These paddle wheels aremounted in lateral -eX- tensions 13, 14 of a housing 15, which enclosesthe operating parts of the machine and which is an extension of the tankproper. The two paddle wheels have their aXes alined and are mounted ona common shaft 16, as shown in Fics. 1, 2 and 3, so that they rotate inunison. Said shaft is driven by an electric motor 17, preferably mountedon a platform above one of the paddle Vwheel housings, as shown inFig. 1. The armature shaft of said motor carries a pulley 18 which isconnected by a belt 19 with a pulley 20 mounted on a countershaft 21, asbest shown in Figs. 1 and 3, This countershaft carries a spur pinion 22which meshes with a gear 23 mounted on the shaft 16, as just shown inFig. 1. As best shown in Fig. 4, the lower portions of the paddle wheels11, 12 dip into the water inthe lateral extensions of the tank 7 and theblades of said paddle wheels are arranged so that when said wheelsrotate in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4 they take upthe water and throw it laterally into the upper portion of the washingkand rinsing compartments.

24, 25 indicate endless conveyors mounted respectively in the washingand rinsing compartments, and arranged to conduct articles to be washedin the same direction over the water in said compartments. rllheseconveyors are in the form-of endless chains which operate over sprocketwheels, the conveyor 24 being supported and actuated by sprocket wheels26, 27, and the conveyor 25 by sprocket wheels 28, 29, a's shown in Fig.1.'

The sprocket wheel 26 is mounted on a transverse shaft 30 suitablymounted near the inlet end of the Washing compartment,and the sprocketwheels 27 and 28 are mounted respectively upon transverse shafts 31, 32mounted in the housing at opposite sides near the upper end portion ofthe partition 10, as best shown in Fig. l, from which it.

will be `'seen that said partition extends up between the shafts 31, 32and terminates below the level of the upper loops of the two conveyors24, 2 5. rlhe shafts 31, 32 project outside of the housing at one end,as shown in Fig. 6and their projecting ends are provided with sprocketwheels 33, 34, respectively, whichv are connected bya link belt 35, asbest Lshown in Figs. 1 and 6.- Thus the two conveyors operate in unisonand their upper or operating surfaces move in the same direction. Thesprocket wheel 29, which is located near the discharge end of themachine, is mounted on a transverse shaft 36 which also extends outthrough the casing and carries a sprocket wheel 37 over which travels alink belt38 connecting the shaft 36 with a shaft 39 having a sprocketwheel 40,. as best shown in Fig. 3. The shaft 39 also carries a wormwheel 41 with which meshes Ja worm or spiral gear 42 mounted upon an endportion of the paddle wheel shaft 16, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Bythis construction the two conveyors 24, 25 are driven from the motor 17through the I paddle wheel shaft.

rll"he construction of the conveyors 2 4, 25 is best'shown in Figs. 4, 5and 6, from which it will be seen that each of said conveyors comprisesflat transverse bars 43 secured intermediately of their length to theconveyor chains so that they are horizontally disposed and spaced adistance apart. rll`hese conveyore are designed to accommodate basketsor trays v44 in which the articles to be washed are placed, said basketsbeing preferably slightly less in width than the width of the main.portion of the tank 7, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5, and theyare long enough to rest on two or more of the cromacceso? i that theyare not engaged by a basket 44 when the latter occupies a horizontalposition, but should the basket tip its lower margin will strike theadjacent rail and will be prevented from tipping further.

lt will be apparent that a basket deposited upon the conveyor 24 at theinlet end of the machine will be carried along by said conveyor andautomatically transferred at the center of the machine to the conveyor25, which will conduct it to the outlet end of the machine, and that asthe basket passes through the machine its contents will be subcylinder47 which extends longitudinally of' the machine over the washingandrinsing compartments and over the conveyors 24, 25. rll`his cylinder maybe either wire mesh or any other l suitable openwork construction whichwill permit Water to pass therethrough and will at the same time serveas a conveyor foi` comparatively sm all articles. lin the constructionshown. said cylinder is provided with a 'centrallongitudinally-extending shaft `48 around which winds a spiral blade 49,as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. lf desired the xshaft and blade may bemade integral with each other. as shown in Fig. 4. rllhe shaft 48 andblade 49 are iixedly connected withv the cylinder 47 so that they rotatein unison. rll`he ends of the cylinder 47 are both open, and at theinlet end thereof a hopper or funnel 50' is provided through which thearticlesto be washed are introduced. At the outlet end of the machine aVtable 51 is provided to receive not only the baskets delivered by theconveyor 25, but also the articles delivered from the cylinder 47.

The cylinder 47 is rotated through the shaft 48 by means of a link belt52 which runs over sprocket wheels 53, 54. rlhe sprocket wheel 53 ismounted' on one end portion of the shaftI 48, as shownin Fig. 2,

vto

vno

and the sprocket wheel 54 is mounted upon a shaft 55 which is drivenfrom the paddle wheel shaft 16 through sprocket wheels 56, 57 and a linkbelt 58, the sprocket wheel 57 being mounted on the paddle wheel shaft16, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. By this construction all theoperating parts' are driven from. the motor 17. 59 indicates a loadingtable at the inlet end of the machine, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2.60, 61 indicate overiow pipes for controlling the level of the water inthe washing and rinsing compartments.

It will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 4 that the lower portion ofthe cylinder 47 is opposite the upper portions of the paddle wheels 11,l2 and overlies the conveyors 24, 25, and as indicated by the arrow inFig. 5 the lower portion of said cylinder moves in the oppositedirection to that of the water thrown by said paddle wheels. When thelmachine is in operation, therefore, the water thrown by the paddlewheels will strike the lower portion of said cylinder while the same ismoving in the opppsite direction, thus increasing the force of theimpact of the water not only upon the surface of said cylinder but alsoupon the articles contained therein. A part of the wa- -ter will passinto the cylinder and will thoroughly scour the contents thereof, afterwhich it will fall upon the articles carried by the conveyors 24, 25.Part of the water will also be deflected by the cylinder and distributeddownwardly over the article carried by said conveyors. The result isthat the articles carried by said conveyors, as well as those containedwithin the cy1inder 47, will be thoroughly scoured without waste ofeither water or time. Furthermore as the cylinder 47 occupies spacewhich has heretofore been wasted, the capacity of the machine' is verylargely increased without increasing the fioor space which it occu pies.My improved machine, therefore, is

peculiarly suitable for use in factories where the available space islimitedv and where a machine of large capacity is'required.

So far as l am aware I am the first in the art to provide a washingmachine of the type described having a rotary member arranged tocooperate with the paddle wheel or wheels to direct the water uponarticles traveling thereunder; or one in which suchrotary member is inthe form of a reticulated cylinder which operates also as a conveyor toconduct articles to be washed through the machine. I also believe myselfto be the first to provide a washing machine of the character describedwith a plurality of conveyors arranged in different horizontal planes.These features are, therefore, claimed generically. In other respectsalso my invention is not limited to the specific construction shown anddescribed except in so far as the same is particularly claimed.

What I claim as my invention and. desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A washing machine comprising a tank, a conveyor extending thereoverfor conducting articles to be washed over the water therein, a paddlewheel at one side of said conveyor and operating to throw water fromsaid tank upon the articles carried thereby, and a rotary memberextending longitudinally over said conveyor in the path of and servingto deflect water thrown by said paddle wheel.

2. A washing machine comprising a tank,

conveyor and Operating to throw water from v said tank upon the articlescarried thereby, and a rotary reticulated cylinder extendinglongitudinally over said conveyor in the path of the water thrown bysaid paddle wheel.

3. A washing machine comprising a tank, a conveyor extending thereoverfdr conducting articles to be washed over the water therein, a paddlewheel at one side of said conveyor and operating to throw water fromsaid tank upon the articles carried thereby, and a rotary cylindricalconveyor extending longitudinally` over said conveyor in the path of thewater thrown by said paddle wheel.

4. A washing machine comprisingatank, a plurality of conveyors extendinglongitudinally thereover in different horizontal planes for conductingarticles to be washed over said tank, means for moving each of saidconveyors continuously in one direction and means for throwing waterfrom said tank upon the articles carried by said conveyor.

5. A washing machine comprising a tank. a plurality of conveyorsextending longitudinally thereover in different horizontal planes forconducting articles to be washed over said tank, one of said conveyorsbeingv a reticulated' rotary cylinder and means disposed laterally withreference to said conveyors for throwing water' from said tank againstthe articles to be washed..

6. A washing machine comprising a tank, a plurality of conveyorsdisposed one above another and extending over said tank for conductingarticles to be washed thereover, one of said conveyors being a'reticulated rotary cylinder, and means for, throwing water from saidtank simult'aneously'upon the articles carried by said conveyors.

7. A washing machine comprising a tank, a conveyor extending thereoverfor conducting articles to be washed over the water therein, a paddlewheel at one side offsaid conveyor and operating to throw water fromsaid tank upon the articles carried thereby, a rotary member extendinglongitudinally over said conveyor in the path of and serving to deflectwater thrown by said paddle wheel, a motor., and driving mechanism forrotating said paddle wheel and said rotary memberV in the same directionfrom said motor.

8; A washing machine comprising a tank, a conveyor extending thereoverfor conducting articles to be washed over the water therein, a paddleWheel at one side of said conveyor and operating to throw Water fromsaid tank upon the articles carried thereby, a rotary ret-iculatedcylindrical member extending longitudinally over said conveyor in the.path of the water thrown by said paddle wheel, a motor, and drivingconnections for rotating said paddle wheeland rotary member in the samedirection from said motor.

9. A washing machine comprising a tank, a paddle wheel at one sidethereof for throwing water from said tank upon thearticles to be washed,a reticulated rotary cylindrical conveyor for the articles to be washed,arranged parallel with the axis of Said paddle wheel, the lower portionof the conveyor meager being opposite the upper portion of the paddlewheel, and means for rotating said conveyor and paddle wheel in "thesame direction.

10. A washing machine comprising a tank, a conveyor extending over saidtank, sai-d conveyor comprising an endless chain and spaced transversebars carried by said conveyor for supporting trays' containing thearticles to be washed, the outer end portions of said bars beingunsupported, means for throwing water from said tank upon the articlescarried by said trays,l and means for drivin said conveyor.

'11. washing machine comprising a tank, a conveyor extending over saidtank, i

said conveyor comprising an en-dless'chain and spaced transverse barscarried by said chain for supportingl trays containing the articles tobe washed', the outer end portions oi said bars being unsupported, guardrails at the sides of said tank below the level of said transverse barsfor preventing excessivel tipplng of said trays, means for throwing'water from said tank upon the articles car ried by said trays, andmeans for driving said conveyor.

oponen s. Bettkasten.

